Company Fined $300,000 For Posting Fake Reviews Online

Posted In Marketing | 1 comment

A cosmetic surgery company was fined $300,000 by the state of New York for having its employees pretend they were satisfied customers posting fake glowing reviews online.

The company also created its own websites of face-lift reviews to make it appear as if they were independent sources.  Here’s a quote from the news story:

False reviews have become more of a problem as more people rely on sites like Yelp, Amazon or Epinions to rate and learn about products and services.

Some review sites have grown so powerful that consumer reviews can make or break a new business. Lifestyle Lift, which is based in Troy, Mich., and operates 32 centers nationwide, believed that negative reviews had significantly hurt its reputation, the attorney general’s office said…

New York’s attorney general, said in a statement that Lifestyle Lift’s “attempt to generate business by duping consumers was cynical, manipulative and illegal.

I completely agree that online reviews can make or break or product or a business.

The problem is that people are much more likely to complain about a business or product than to rave about it.

There are legitimate (read: legal) ways to manage your online presence.

  1. Many review sites allow the business owner to post rebuttals to bad reviews.
  2. You can encourage your customers to go online and post their own good reviews if they’re satisfied.
  3. You can follow up with customers to find out if they’re satisfied with their purchase.  Your attitude can directly affect your customers’ happiness/frustration with their purchase.
  4. You can try to fix the problems that caused the bad reviews in the first place.

…But unless you want to be fined $300,000, keep it legal.

Tim Gross About Tim Gross
Tim Gross is an online marketing consultant, direct response copywriter, author, and video training developer. For the latest free training videos, free advice, and additional resources, subscribe now at http://InternetMarketingCourse.com or at his blog http://TimGross.com

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  1. Brandon
    54 days ago

    How do you feel about companies posting REAL reviews on the behalf of customers w/ their permission? Most people won’t take the time to sign up for a review site to leave you a compliment.